Leader of the Pack
by Justright
Summary: Vincent finds himself dealing with beasts who are somewhat different than what he's known so far. How will he cope with having to protect beasts rather than terminate them? Also, I had forgotten to add that it helps to have read Destined, as this story starts almost where the other one left off. :)
1. Chapter 1

**Leader of the pack**

Prologue

Catherine and Heather had accompanied Tess to the Hospital, and JT went with Harold and Jeremy, who they felt they should give a summary physical exam just to be on the safe side. Agent Carson and Levy had been and gone to retrieve Matthew's body and even clean up some of the mess it left behind, just in case, they said. Vincent found himself alone for the first time in a while, and he welcomed this occasion to reflect. Just a little over a week ago, he thought himself the only beast left, as far as he knew. The agents had spoken of other dangerous creatures of course, but at the time, they had intimated that those weren't like him. Now, not only was this little delusion busted, but he was in love with one. What the future held was now in flux. Particularly that one very big part of his strange destiny had been resolved this very day.

More than this, it now appeared he had a higher purpose of sort, although in the privacy of his thoughts, he truly marveled at the fact that THAT was the big purpose. But then, if it was going to help the world. What a side benefit…! A self-satisfied smile graced his features at the thought. That part of it he hadn't discussed with Catherine as of yet, and he wondered what she would make of this new development. Particularly in light of how freaked out he had been the one time she thought she might be pregnant. For now though, he only hoped to enjoy the little peace they might glean in between crisis, as he suspected they weren't out of those either.

Leader of a pack…now that one had thrown him for a spin. He had always been a little awkward in crowds as it was. How in the hell was he going to deal with not only people, but beasts…Truthfully, the only way he had ever mostly known to deal with them so far had been terminal. He knew now he would have to be a little more comprehensive in his approach, but frankly Vincent still couldn't imagine himself in that situation. Hopefully, Catherine would be of some help for that too.

Suddenly, Vincent decided that solitude may not have been what he aspired to after all and he became agitated. Another recent development, that one was. Until he started his relationship with Catherine, he was content to spend most of his time alone or with JT...But now, only a couple years into this new life with Catherine, he wondered how he would ever feel if he found himself alone again, or at the very least, without Catherine… He even had friends now again now, a big change after all those years of isolation.

He began to wonder when Catherine would be back and paced the length of the empty lab back and forth, almost ready to bolt. After passing the same spot a few times, the one where Jeremy had stood just at the moment where Ezekiel ended him, an image came unbidden. The alien in his body had grabbed the gun from Jeremy and thrown it away. When he looked on the other side of the room he remembered Agent Carson picking it up and that at least wasn't a problem, but something else was bugging him about that moment and he thought back and distinctly saw the syringe in Jeremy's hand and then there was none. He was certain Ezekiel didn't take the syringe himself. Then he remembered Jeremy dropping the thing and it rolling under the table. He couldn't believe they'd all forgotten about this devilish serum.

Bending under the table, he looked and looked but he couldn't find it there or even further in the lab. Worry started gnawing at him. He tried to find a calm center and tracked the scene again. There it was, Jeremy losing the gun to him and his eyes widening at the revelation of who was truly inhabiting him. The shock caused Jeremy to loosen his hold on the syringe just as Vincent remembered. Then he followed the instrument, seeing it going to rest near one of the table's legs, intact. Then a hand appeared, white, manly… His senses followed the syringe as it was picked up and he found himself looking straight at…Agent Levy. But what really spooked Vincent is that the man seemed to be looking straight back at him with a smile filled with hidden meaning, as if he wanted Vincent to see him take what he considered a weapon.

The doubts about the whereabouts of the serum soon overcame his reasoning that he must be imagining things. Vincent went out, pulling his cell as he went, dialing agent Carson's number as soon as he got a signal. The agent answered on the second ring. Without preamble, Vincent asked, "Is agent Levy with you?"

"No, he went straight home after we were done with...the disposal."

"Right," Vincent replied, uneasy with the euphemism. "I was only wondering what he did with the serum."

"Serum? I thought you disposed of the syringe..."

"No," Vincent trailed with increasing suspicion. "Agent Levy picked it up."

The long silence at the other end said it all. Suddenly, the peace of mind he had experienced only moments before was replaced by one of dread and the brighter future he had envisaged darkened considerably.

Chapter I

Vincent paced impatiently, seething not for the first time in the past two months. They'd been back at the country house for a couple days now and a phone call had once again shattered their blissful moment of peace.

"Would you please stop that," Catherine tried for the third time in the past fifteen minutes. "Why are you getting so worked up?"

Vincent instantly stopped but the expression on his face told her she was in for it. "As if you couldn't remember the last time this dumb beast came to us."

"I don't think Claude is the real problem."

"Seriously? And please don't."

"Don't what."

"I think you enjoy this reasonable role a little too much."

"You know I'm just trying to help and if you weren't so unnerved you'd see it for what it is. Besides you know what you should do."

"If I turn it off I'll kill him!" He exclaimed, returning to his nervous pacing.

"I believe eventually you'll do something you'll regret if you don't deal with this decisively now."

"What would you have me do? Try scaring him into submission? I don't see how confronting the idiot will help in any way…besides I already tried…" Vincent replied unhappily, resuming his pacing.

"If you get really angry with him, you might not stop at scaring him, that's what worries me. And then where will you be if you kill him?"

Vincent stopped pacing again to regard Catherine wonderingly. "Is it really bad that I'm thinking I'd be free...?"

He dropped heavily beside her on the love seat they'd added themselves to the den after finding out that none of the pretty things her father left her were in any way as comfy as that new chair. Sophistication be damned. As was her habit, she nestled in his arms, trying to communicate as much calm to him as she could. However Catherine was very aware that Vincent was nearing a dangerous level of stress. "I know you don't want to hear this but I don't think this device is good for you."

"It's kept me from beasting out so far and that's really the only way I can deal with these people without hurting them."

"Ever wondered how your predecessor was doing it?"

"Catherine! You don't really want me to go there now..."

"Sorry, I think your problem is starting to rub on me. But seriously, you can let them run you in circles like that. I'm no expert but I don't think you're gaining their respect by doing exactly what they want..."

"Are you done?" Vincent had pulled back from her and she could feel true resentment coming from him to her utter dismay.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I am," She brusquely replied, standing up at this, "I'm gonna call Tess, and arrange for a girls night out and leave you to your nervous breakdown. Remember if there's any blood on the carpet it's on you."

"You're gonna abandon me on our weekend?"

"You're not seeing the big picture here...I'm saving your hide. From me!" Catherine replied tensely.

Without another word she ran off without even giving him a chance to reply. He could track her for miles, but then she'd sense him coming from even further. Besides, although they occasionally enjoyed that game, Vincent knew that this certainly wasn't one of those times. He had to admit to himself that lately he'd been a total ass to Catherine but he just couldn't deal with all that everyone threw his way. On the one hand, he was getting the stuff from the John Reynolds society who regularly found more tricky problems for him to help with, but had it only been that, he could've dealt. It was that and the beast 'duties' as they called them, which for the most part required him to deal with big bad babies with tantrums that often got him close to have one of his own.

An hour later, he confirmed his suspicions about the problem.  
>"I swear, boss," A giant of a man called Claude Leblanc was saying, "I tried to do as you suggested and I talked to them first."<p>

"The plan," Vincent replied with barely contained fury, "the plan was for you to ONLY talk to them!"

"But," Claude started, apparently oblivious to Vincent's mood, "I tried, I swear…They just wouldn't budge."

"Now let me get this straight…you went to have your car repaired and the mechanics disagreed with you on the price…Is that it?"

"The mechanics, I don't really know boss. Although they were with that asshole of a parts manager when it happened..."

"And how many people were there?"

"I counted…four I think." Claude replied, still apparently completely unaware of the effect he had on Vincent.

"You think!" This time, Vincent was sure the dampening field of the emitter wouldn't be able to contain him any longer. Every atom in his body was screaming to be released and he actually went for the device discreetly hidden in a pocket inside his vest but stopped short of turning it off when Claude started talking again.

"You know boss, I admire you so much! I mean, I could never stop myself the way you do. These guys they really were in my face but now…"

With a supreme effort, Vincent said, "Ok…what did they see exactly and how much…damage did you do? Also, please stop calling me boss…"

"I get it bo…Mr. Keller," Claude replied in a slightly more subdued manner. "You'll be proud of me for one thing. No dead…just a little hurt. But one of them has called the cops and told them some monster went at him…I spent the night in the slammer and I controlled myself perfectly!" Claude actually smiled proudly at this, and Vincent wanted to wipe the grin off his face so bad, he had to turn his back on him and head for the discreet bar that Reynolds had installed in the study Vincent and his visitor stood in.

"Right! So, I guess we'll call Agent Carson with the usual request."

"Thing is bo…Mr. Keller," Claude started, "I already called them like you suggested I did before…they said I should come to you because they had… what were the words they used? Exhausted all their chips on me and that I should come to you directly."

"Of course they did," Vincent growled under his breath. After he'd dealt with this, Vincent promised himself the next thing he'd do would be to have a talk with the agent.

Tess was lounging cat like in one of the big comfy chairs in her living room. Catherine had elected to sit on the couch and was sipping a drink of Tess' confection. A favorite of hers with bourbon as a base ingredient…The burn of the strong alcohol felt oddly comforting as it went down. She realized then that she really had needed a break. Her only problem at the moment was the view. Although Catherine loved her friend dearly, looking around her living room felt more like living inside a photo album, and sometimes she was a little embarrassed at all the pictures of herself surrounding her. Recently Tess had, thankfully, been replacing some of hers with those of her new best friend and lover. Still, there were a few that brought back real sweet memories and they all spoke of how deeply Tess cared, so that Catherine always refrained from telling her the way she felt about them.

"So you're saying he's driving you bunkers?" Tess was asking. "And there I thought destined love meant happily ever after."

"First off, nobody is perfect. Us less than most and you know that…"

"Come on sweetie, don't sell yourself short. Anyone would want to be loved like that."

"You got that too, don't you?"

Tess sighed deeply at this and Catherine could see that something was troubling her. Tess confirmed her suspicions with her next words, "How much time have you spent with JT lately?"

Catherine actually felt bad about that. The past few weeks they had barely had time for each other, let alone any to visit friends. "Definitely not as much as we'd like. You know how busy we are at work and Vincent's been so absorbed with his new responsibilities..."

"Well, if you'd tried you might've hit a wall. He's been burying himself in the research he's doing with Harold. Honestly those two are fast becoming inseparable. You think it's because he misses the company of other guys since you two...?"

"I'm sure it's just a phase. After all, he is researching his own problem and they're both brilliant researchers to boot. But doesn't he spend time with you?"

"It's not that we don't get together often, it's just that when we do, I see he's never completely with me. He's so worried about not only the medication he has to take just to go to sleep but also about the problem Jeremy created before he...well…changed."

"You know that we're working on it from our end as well. I mean agent Levy's disappearing act has us all worried but so far, nothing has come of it. Vincent is even wondering if he misread the whole thing."

"Well he sure didn't imagine Agent Levy up and leaving without a word. JT is worried that whatever was in that syringe might be the start of a new Muirfield or worse. He and Harold are working overtime to find a way to counter the effects but so far, they've only got mixed results."

"Are they seriously trying to redo the serum?"

"Yeah with the little help Jeremy can provide, but only so they can find the antidote."

"I don't think Jeremy told Vincent about it. And that won't help his cause since Vincent is still very suspicious of him and frankly I can't blame him…"

"Maybe you shouldn't tell Vincent about that, Cat. If JT chose not to, I'm not certain it's a good idea for you to get between these guys. From what you're telling me, your man doesn't need more stress anyway and JT assures me everything is fine on Jeremy's front."

"You know Vincent and I have promised never to keep anything from each other again, don't you?"

"Sometimes Cat, a little white lie goes a long way towards peace and harmony."

"So that's your secret?" Catherine asked with an amused expression.

"My motto is preach, don't do," Tess replied with a self-deprecating smile. Meanwhile, let's toast to us girls and leave those guys' problems behind for one night. What do you say?"

"And how many toasts are we talking about here?" Catherine added with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Hum, let's just say that now I understand why I always lost at this game and I'm not playing it anymore. Too many hangovers already."

"Wow, Tess is getting reasonable! What should I do to change that?"

"Wait till you see what I've got planned for tonight and we'll see who's reasonable here," Tess mocked protested. "Also make sure you adjust that thingy right! Wouldn't want you to have too much fun!"

"Hey!" Catherine exclaimed.

Later that night while going back to the country house, Catherine was smiling contentedly, recalling the highlights of the night. She was particularly amused at the fact that she had to put Tess to bed after they played the drinking game again. After the first few glasses, Tess had managed to convince herself once again that a girl raised with all those boys could hold her liquor with the best of them.

Before that, throughout the evening they'd both had to fend off offers ranging from simple dances to the most outrageous propositions and although neither of them were in any way interested, it was nice to know they still had IT.

She was still bathing in the haze of pleasantness even as she drove up the long driveway to their new place. Then as she was parking the car Catherine felt a twinge of guilt, particularly remembering how she'd left things that afternoon. The house was mostly dark except for a light in the entrance, which she assumed Vincent had thoughtfully left for her. However, she was a little disappointed that he hadn't waited up for her, even though she knew that wasn't fair.

Catherine became uneasy when she found the house eerily quiet and for a brief moment she feared her bad joke of the afternoon might've come to pass but with an awful outcome. Immediately she opened her senses and relief flooded through her when she heard Vincent's calm heartbeat. In fact, she could sense that he was calmer than he'd been in days. She found him reclining on the loveseat, wide awake as she had expected but the sight of her seemed to have the reverse effect to what she had sensed only seconds ago. His heart raced but not out of any kind of desire. Coupled with the guilty look he gave her she knew right away he felt really bad for some reason. "What did you do," Catherine asked warily.

"I did what you said..."

"And..."

"Well you were right about me feeling better..." He trailed.

"I'm afraid to ask where I went wrong."

"If you wonder about Claude, he left in one piece..." The thought of the problem beast momentarily seemed to bring back the feistiness of the afternoon, "although I'm still debating whether to cut him into little chunks and feed him to the pigs."

"Vincent!" Catherine exclaimed indignantly.

"Alright, he's fine...but it was a comforting image nevertheless."

Catherine sighed deeply before asking, "Ok, then if Claude's fine...what isn't?"

Right away the remorseful expression returned as Vincent confessed, "Hum...your study." As he said so, he turned towards her father's former office/study.

"My what?" Catherine followed Vincent's gaze and saw right away that something was amiss with the room, the lack of a door, which Catherine found embedded in the opposite wall of the study, being the first sign. That was only the tip of the demolition derby that took place in that room however. The fancy wallpaper that used to hang on the walls was now ripped to shreds, either hanging off in strips or frankly torn off, and one of the walls even sported a gaping hole looking into an adjacent guestroom. Not a single piece of furniture remained standing and Catherine soon realized that a number of the pieces had found a new home in the backyard through the shattered bay window. There was glass everywhere, so much so she wondered how he didn't wound up all cut up.

Vincent watched her with more than a little apprehension. He would've preferred she'd scream at him but instead, he felt a sudden surge of emotions coming from her while he noticed her shoulders shaking violently. "Catherine you're not crying right? You know I'll pay for it."

If anything what he said only seemed to increase her apparent inner turmoil. He was about to try and apologize further when Catherine finally couldn't contain herself anymore and she burst out laughing so hard it took him a second to understand that's what it was. Then she turned back to him almost bent in two, feeling the pain in her belly so hard she was laughing.

"So...not mad then," Vincent said as a hesitant smile came unbidden, the contagious nature of her reaction evident. "It's not that funny though, Catherine."

"Well, it's always nice to know when one's right…" She managed between fits of laughter.

Catherine was trying to catch her breath back but every time she looked at Vincent, another bout of laughter started. "Catherine, come on," Vincent said a little testily.

"Alright, alright..." she valiantly tried but it was all she could do not to burst out laughing again. "Funny," she began between halting breaths, "Weren't we just talking about redecorating...?"

"Right," Vincent answered hesitantly.

"Ok," Catherine finally managed to control her hilarity as she moved toward him suggestively, "here's how it's gonna be."

Now Vincent felt aroused rather than contrite but he also suspected the anvil might be about to fall. "How much is that gonna set me back?"

"Well... you do want to please me don't you?"

"Ouch!"

The next day, Vincent visited with JT and when he told him what happened, the man was beside himself. "You lucky bastard!"

"Hey, define lucky. Yeah that was great, but I'm still stuck putting out fires left and right. Also now, I have to build a genuine Dojo in the former study."

"Is Catherine aware that you're positively allergic to hammers and nails?" JT asked with, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Well, when I say I'm building it, I actually meant I'm having it built…"

"I still say lucky bastard! I can't imagine what would happen to me if I destroyed part of my girlfriend's place but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't involve the words fun and bedroom ever. Matter of fact, I'm rather convinced at that point I might as well take a vow of celibacy!"

"Tess isn't that bad."

"You're kidding? I love the woman and all, but sometimes she scares the bejesus out of me!"

"Come on, she's the most caring woman I know besides Catherine."

"Caring maybe…forgiving I'm not so sure…but right now, I'd rather talk about you groveling to some greedy mechanics..."

"Didn't I mention earlier that I nearly destroyed Catherine's house because of that?"

"And...?"

"Can you imagine what I might do next if I hear the words mechanics and groveling in one sentence again?" Vincent said only half-jokingly.

JT stared at his friend in astonishment, "ok when I heard you were going over the edge I thought Tess was exaggerating but now I can see maybe she really wasn't."

"Where did she get that?"

"I'll give you three guesses...you really shouldn't blame Catherine. She's just worried about you." "Well then I guess she won't mind me repeating what Tess said about you..."

"Which is," JT wondered uneasily.

"Are you two having problems?"

"Is that what she said?"

"No, its just I know you. You wouldn't keep her at a distance if everything was fine."

JT sighed deeply. "It's got nothing to do with how I feel, trust me. Ever since they gave me those damned pills I haven't been myself. More and more I can't seem to think straight."

"You know why you got to take them, JT. If you and Harold can't find a way to return you to normal...Not sleeping is a serious issue! Besides, I think you're exaggerating here. You're still pretty much the smartest guy I know."

"Hum...you're buttering it on thick...what do you need?"

"Why do you always assume...?"

"Cause I know you and that's ok. Glad to help. I think I need a little distraction anyway."

"You sure?"

"Yeah I'm sure but I think it's really time I charged you for all that advice."

"You know… might not be such a stupid idea. My accountant said I should incorporate and stuff."

"Now let me just picture this...you and your accountant... what did he suggest as a name? Beast Inc.?"

"Very funny," Vincent replied, faking outrage. "Just for that I should duck your pay!"

"Right," JT answered. "All kidding aside, what did you need?"

"Honestly JT, I don't know what I'm doing..." When Vincent saw the look on his friend's face he knew right away that Tess hadn't been the only one talking about his problem. "What do you know?"

"Well the people at the agency, they're worried. They thought you only needed some time to adjust but they've been extinguishing fires left and right for the past two months. Those beasts of yours..."

Vincent interrupted irritably, "they're not my beasts. I didn't ask for this."

"Maybe your problem is you worry too much about what you are…Don't you remember when we were young? You always knew how to bring people together…I don't know. Give a few of your trouble makers a night on the town. Figure what makes them tick!"

"Honestly JT, I'm not sure I even remember how to do that. But mostly, I'm afraid the little I managed to accomplish so far would be blown out of the water the moment these guys let loose."

"Of course you could always make a stand. Show them who's the boss…"

"Please don't use that word. I can still hear Claude calling me that while whining about his issues…"

"Those issues include a mechanics?" JT smiled teasingly.

"JT!"

"Ah relax Vince. I think maybe the taking the beasts out on the town is a little much for now but how about I take one? I think you could use fun that doesn't involve a bedroom or running in the woods…"

"And you suggest," Vincent questioned while smiling at his old friend.

"Let's go see if there's a limit to your not getting drunk thing. Oh and Vince, how about you leave this toy at home?" JT indicated the vest pocket, which he knew contained the dampening device,

"I don't think you'll need it at all."

Vincent hesitated a long beat before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the small emitter. "You're sure? I mean, what if I'm having too much fun?"

"You're kidding? I'm counting on it…"

Vincent frowned a little but somehow the idea of an evening free of worry was irresistible. "Alright, but I warn you, that's gonna take a lot of booze!"

"Let's make it an experiment and then you can put that in as research expense on your Beast Inc. corporate account…"

Vincent shook his head in mocked disbelief but the smile that accompanied it was genuine.

On Monday morning, Catherine had not heard from Vincent since the day before but she wasn't exaggeratedly worried, since he'd told her JT and he were going out to blow some steam the night before. In fact, she figured he'd crashed at his friend's and JT almost always had a calming effect on Vincent. When he hadn't answered her call, she'd wondered a little but she figured maybe he'd turned down the volume on the phone.

Meanwhile, upon reaching the precinct she worked at with Tess, she was told that her partner was already at the scene of a murder. After taking down the exact address, she headed there right away. She'd called Tess ahead and her friend was waiting for her in the street in front of a large building claiming to be an electronic manufacture. As she had assumed, the coroner had established that the body had been dumped there during the night but that death had most likely occurred somewhere else at or around 9:30 on the preceding evening. The whole thing sounded rather like routine as usual but Catherine immediately sensed an unusual tension in her habitually laid back friend. "What is it?" She asked curiously.

"Well…you got your little toy with you right?"

"Always but I've not had to use it much lately. Why?"

"I'd suggest you turn it on now, Cat."

"Oh come on, Tess, I've seen pretty awful crime scenes before. It's been a while since I've reacted badly to one."

"Could you humor me?"

Catherine eyed her partner uncertainly. For the space of a moment she thought back to the fact that she'd been unable to reach Vincent but she chastised herself right away. Even if something had happened to him, god forbid, Tess wouldn't have let her walk in on the body without telling her. If she'd even let her get near him in the first place. So what could be so unnerving, according to Tess, that she'd suspect it was going to make her react badly?  
>The answer to that, she found out, was twofold. The moment she got behind the building she saw Agent Carson standing back but still watching the proceedings with acute interest. Already, that put Catherine seriously ill at ease. She met the agent's eyes but this one only nodded without saying anything, probably thinking it was better they played it cool in the company of other officers. The second shock actually got her grateful for the little dampener. When the coroner pulled back the sheet from the body at her request, her face must have blanched because the coroner actually inquired if she was alright. Claude Leblanc, or what was left of him, was lying on his back, his face and torso half destroyed by multiple slashes. One part of her mind clinically approved of the coroner's conclusion about the body having been moved. There was little or no blood around the body which definitely made it only a secondary crime scene. This came in as the detective detached part of her mind processed what she saw, while the other half of her was inwardly screaming in fear of what might really have happened to the beast.<p>

Discreetly, Tess grabbed her partner's arm and pulled her away from prying ears. "Agent Carson here tells me that this guy was one of the difficult cases your boyfriend's had to deal with. Is that true?"

Catherine didn't trust herself to answer and instead she left the scene, intent on trying to reach Vincent again. After her third unfruitful attempt, the dam she had erected around her mounting panic began to crack.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter II

"Tell me again what happened exactly?" Harold, Vincent and JT were standing in an examination room, complete with a stretcher, a portable scanner, an x ray machine and other medical apparatus.

"I thought JT explained it all to you already?" Vincent replied impatiently

"Humour me alright? I need all the details…"

"First of all, I don't remember much myself."

"Still, from the start?"

"Ok, we…JT and I were coming out of this bar and generally having fun…weren't we?"

"Of course we were," JT approved. "I was a little drunk but as usual you were cool as a cucumber. But anyway, that didn't stop us from enjoying the evening. Until…"

"Right, we were walking away from the bar and when we turned the corner, this guy came at us all puffed up with a gun in his hand and he threatened us for our wallets…"

"So...so far you remember seeing that guy and then…"

"Ok, I didn't have the device on me evidently and the guy got me a little bothered so I started changing and then…nothing…Next thing I knew I was sitting in the car, with blood on me and no idea what happened."

"JT?"

"Like he said, he had good reasons to be mad and he started changing and, of course, he laid the guy down cold after somewhat…breaking his gun hand…but that's where it stopped…"

"You know that's not what I wanna know. Why doesn't Vincent remember a thing after changing until he woke up in your car?"

"Alright, I might have cheated a little."

"Ah now we're getting somewhere," Harold said.

"Where," Vincent asked suspiciously.

"Ok, I didn't want you to think I didn't trust you…" JT began hesitantly. "It's just you were so on edge before we left…I kind of took the device along with us."

"You did? You told me…"

"I know what I told you, but aren't you glad I did?"

"Maybe… but waking up in the car with all this blood and no one to tell me what happened wasn't exactly fun for me either."

"I didn't have a choice and by the way, you weight a ton, buddy. I had to leave you there and go back by myself otherwise the cops would've been all over you. Instead, I pretended I was alone and they bought it…after a fashion. I know one of them actually questioned my ability to defend myself but other than that…"

"Still doesn't explain why you felt the need to knock me out. Wouldn't it have been simpler to just turn on the dampener and let me walk back to the car instead?"

"But that's the thing," Harold interjected. "That's why I wanted you here."

"What?" Vincent curiously turned to Harold. "Seems to me JT got a little anxious and overreacted, nothing particularly worrying about it."

"No," JT interrupted, a little miffed at Vincent assumption. "I didn't overreact or anything of the sort. I did exactly what I was supposed to."

"What are you talking about?"

"I didn't try to knock you out at first. Matter of fact, as soon as I saw the mugger coming at us, I tried the setting you usually use…but then, you started changing anyway. I got closer without any effect so I raised the level a notch and nothing…So after you went for the gun and knocked him out, I was worried you'd go a little further so I turned the thing all the way up and that did the trick but barely."

"What are you saying?"

"What we're telling you," Harold explained, "is that the device doesn't seem to work on you anymore."

"But I've been using it as recently as two days ago and trust me I don't think I could've held on without it."

"You know what," JT mused, "I have to wonder about that. I mean before they gave you this thing you used to be able to control yourself much better and some of the stuff you faced was much worse than a few raucous beasts..."

"But why?"

"I think it's for the same reason as everything else. Because you're not like any other beasts and somehow you got resistant to it."

"Then how the hell did I not beast out with Claude?"

"Simply because you didn't consider him a threat, just an annoyance. You got annoyed with me all the time remember? I'm still here."

That brought a slightly devilish smile to Vincent's lips, "yeah and you don't know how hard that was."

"Hey!"

"So basically the machine you gave me to help me hardly did anything..." Vincent turned to Harold at this.

"Except making you act like a wimp." JT added with a wide mocking smile.

"Remember how I said it cost me a lot JT?"

"Ok, ok, just kidding! What I really think is this, you got so convinced that the device was stopping you that you effectively stopped yourself…That might explain your recent problems too."

"Meaning?" Vincent questioned, although he was starting to see where his friend was going with it.

"Simply this. Because you worked so hard at stopping your beast coming out, you've become more and more on edge. Catherine was right. You got lucky this happened when it did. I'm afraid you were this close to do something irreversible."

"So…the study was just an example of what might have happened?" The image was a sobering one. Vincent didn't want to think of the implications. "Ok well…now that I know that…" Vincent hesitated to ask, "is it safe?"

"I actually believe it's much better," JT encouraged him. "You've been acting so out of character that I had trouble recognizing my friend by moments. For one, you'd never have let those idiots get the better of you before."

Even as his friend spoke, Vincent could already feel the tension partly going down inside him. He hadn't even been aware until then how hard he had been holding himself back.

"How about you use that renewed manhood of yours and go deal with your mechanics issue." JT goaded him.

"JT, you're this close!"

"See, I'm not worried at all about you." JT said calmly.

Somehow, that's what Vincent needed because he suddenly felt a lot surer of himself. "Alright, Claude has better be prepared because it's time he took responsibility."

"You do seem a lot better," agent Carson interjected from the doorway. "However I'm afraid I bring bad news..."

"What's that?" Vincent questioned warily, suddenly very aware that this whole thing kept him from calling Catherine. "Is Catherine alright?"

"Your friend is just fine although I strongly suggest you went to see her as soon as you're done here."

"Why? What's going on?" Vincent cursed inwardly at the timing, considering he'd just barely started feeling better and in fact was formulating a new strategy to deal with his beast duties.

"Miss Chandler is well but she might be harbouring doubts about you right now."

"They took my phone when I got here earlier. I better go call her now."

"There's something else, Vincent. You no longer have to worry about Claude's problem."

"Why? You took care of it?"

"Claude, or Bors as he was known to his friends, passed away last night."

"Passed away? How did he die?"

"I'm afraid that is the very reason you need to talk to miss Chandler."

"Ok, I'm outta here. JT, you'll be alright?"

"Fine but you let me know what's going on."

Vincent was already at the door when a sudden thought stopped him momentarily. "Hey Harold, do you think you could put a few of those emitters around the dungeon? You know enough that any beast going in there..."

"I get the picture, yes. I'll see to it as soon as I'm done here."

"Thanks," Vincent said shortly before heading out in a hurry.

"He's smarter than he looks," Harold approved.

"Hey it's my best friend you're talking about."

"Of course," Harold agreed apologetically.

"Now, how about we get back to try solving my issues?"

Catherine sensed Vincent coming from a distance and instead of waiting for him at the precinct she hurried out, knowing from their many games of hide and seek that he would know where to find her. Indeed, she had barely gotten inside her favorite diner before he came in as well. Of a common accord they sat in the nearest booth before uttering a word.

"What happened," Vincent finally asked when the awkward silence started to weigh on him and, he knew, on Catherine as well.

"You tell me," she retorted warily.

"What the hell? Catherine agent Carson just filled me in about Claude but he wouldn't tell me anything else. Said I should ask you."

"Are you trying to tell me you don't know." The suspicion he could read in Catherine's every word hurt him physically.

"Do you really believe I could've hurt Claude on purpose?"

Catherine hesitated a long excruciating moment before answering. "You told me..."

The disappointment Catherine read on his handsome face hit her square in the stomach.

"You sometimes tell me how you could kill your father for such and such offense...I never actually believed you would," Vincent said after another awkward silence.

"That's not the same thing." Catherine regretted it the moment the words were uttered but she knew it was too late to take them back.

"Yeah that's true, cause I'm a killer right?"

"You know I don't think like that. It's just the circumstances..."

"Do you know the really funny thing about that? For the past two months I've been so worried I'd do something I'd regret. I've just found out the device hardly works on me. I've not turned until last night and that was all me."

"What about last night?"

Vincent stared at her so hard she suddenly wished she was anywhere but there. "I guess now I know where I stand. To think I was worried about what other beasts thought of me. If you need me I'll be at JT's."

The waitress came by just then, "what'll it be?"

"Nothing, thanks. I was just leaving."

"Vincent..."

"See you later," he replied coldly and Catherine was chilled to the bones at her sudden utter solitude.

"Miss?" The waitress asked.

Catherine didn't answer. Instead she ignored the waitress and left for the precinct without a word.

As soon as she got to the precinct, Catherine walked straight toward Tess with angry determination. "We're going back," she told her without preamble.

"Back? Back where?" Tess questioned in confusion.

"The crime scene," Catherine replied shortly.

"We just came from there. Well I just came from there, correction...where were you?"

"Doesn't matter," Catherine replied irritably. "I just want to track it my way."

"Would you keep it down?" Tess whispered, looking around worriedly. "What's got into you? You know you can't mention...the thing here. And besides, how would that hold in court?"

"I need to know, that's all. If you don't wanna come, so be it!"

"Ok I get something got you rattled but," Tess lowered her voice another notch at this, "isn't that more your boyfriend's business anyway?"

Catherine's lack of response was an indicator already, but when Tess saw the hurt look in her eyes she understood something had gone wrong. "Alright, you wanna do this, that's fine, and on the way you're gonna tell me what's going on."

Catherine was about to protest but deep down she had needed her friend to lean on even more than the answers she sought. She simply nodded her assent and turned around, expecting her friend to follow.

When they arrived back at the scene the only indicator that anything happened there at all were bits of yellow tapes flapping in the breeze. By then, Catherine had somewhat calmed down but Tess was still astonished how quickly she'd jumped to conclusions. "So again...you see the dead guy and just because it's like a," Tess once again lowers her voice in spite of the fact that the place is mostly deserted, "beast killing, you right away went to your boyfriend to ask him if he did it, am I getting this right?"

"It wasn't like that at all," Catherine protested impatiently.

"Did you yes or not ask him?"

"I...didn't have to."

"What? Are you saying he did?"

"NO!" Catherine exclaimed forcefully. But then her voice fell to barely above a whisper, "at least I hope not..."

"Wait a minute! Why would you, of all people, wonder about that? I mean seriously, even when anyone in the world would've condemned the guy you were willing to go to the mat for him. What changed?"

"Nothing...I don't know. He's been so moody lately and..." Catherine paused a long wary moment before she pursued in a subdued manner, "he said he wanted to..."

"What? When?" Was Tess flabbergasted reaction.

"I don't mean it like that..."

"Cat...did he threatened the guy or not?"

"Look it doesn't matter right now. I'm gonna find out who did it and that'll be that."

"And if..."

"Don't even say it!"

Tess sighed unhappily. "Alright, do your thing..."

From the first moment, Catherine realised her mistake. The device had prevented her from knowing but at the time she'd been too distraught to even think straight. The few impressions she got felt more like those of an animal than a human or even a beast. After a moment she realized that there was a human component to the scent but it was much fainter than other beasts. She also figured out why she was thrown in such turmoil before. The device most likely dampened her senses at the time but not enough to prevent her from sensing this particular beast and it was almost Vincent's but not quite.

The implication struck her hard. "We have to figure out where this happened." She told Tess tensely.

"Was it Vince or not?"

"Not but I'm afraid he's gonna have to talk to me whether he likes it or not."

"What's going on?"

"Remember we were talking about agent Levy and his disappearing act?"

"Yeah?" Tess replied warily.

"I'm afraid whatever it was killed Claude was created with the stuff from that syringe..."

"Crap!"

"Also, I'd like Vincent to check it as well but I think I know what happened to Agent Levy."

Vincent was sitting on a bench with a vantage on his old neighborhood when JT found him. "I had a feeling I'd find you here."

"JT I'm not in the mood," Vincent said as he looked at his friend briefly before returning to his brooding.

"Well, tough! What's with the self-righteous attitude? It wasn't that long ago you would've told her to assume."

That got him another quick look but that one betrayed more regret than anger.

"I don't know what to do," Vincent admitted after a moment.

"What? Because you realize you've acted like an ass?"

"It's not all on me," Vincent protested, the anger mixing anew with the regret. "Why do I have to prove myself all the time."

"Ok buddy, now you're being really unfair. Catherine has defended you over and over when the circumstances were way more in your disfavor than anyone has a right to expect. Problem is, from what I hear, you told her you wanted this guy dead the day before. Then he gets killed by a beast. Tell me you wouldn't have been suspicious under the circumstances."

"That's not the point, JT."

"What else is there?"

"How in the hell can we have a relationship if every time something bad happens she worries I'm the one who did it? I don't know if I can deal with that anymore."

"Don't you love her?"

"Now you're the one who's not being fair!" Vincent animatedly replied, "I love her with all my heart but I'm not sure it's enough."

At that point, JT really had no clue what he could say to that. He sat heavily beside his friend on the bench. "I'm sorry man," he said dejectedly.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"What do you mean he's not coming?" Catherine asked her friend with a crestfallen expression.

"I'm sorry Cat. JT did find him but..."

"He doesn't want to see me," Catherine finished sadly.

They were at Catherine's apartment where she had hoped they could talk about their situation and hopefully begin to resolve the issues, but evidently it wasn't to be.

"Look I'm sure he's just a little embarrassed with his outburst..." Tess tried.

Catherine shook her head, stopping her friend. "No...I think it's more than that. We had trust and I went and betrayed it...but..."

"JT told me something else that might or might not have to do with it." Tess interrupted.

"What's that?" Catherine asked without much enthusiasm.

"The device...Harold has been checking some of your results more closely after he found out about an issue with Vincent's. Seems he doesn't react to it the same way other beasts do, whatever that means. They also said that for the rest of you it might be causing some instability and JT thinks some of your reactions might've to do with it."

"Tess, I wish it were so simple. The problems started long before we got those devices. After what my father did, Vincent...he was different and..."

"Yeah I know but that was in the past, wasn't it?"

"I'm just not sure if our relationship hasn't always been doomed," Catherine said, ignoring Tess comment. "What if we're deluding ourselves? Maybe it could never work. Look how many times we hit walls already!"

"How could you say that?"

"You didn't see what we remembered of our past...even the first time around ended in disaster!"

"Didn't you also mention the eight thousand intervening years and countless lives where you were happy?"

Catherine seemed to waver at this but even as Tess thought she might've gotten through to her, she went back to her gloomy attitude. "It doesn't matter right now because I'm not really sure what I could do or say that would help Tess. I can't change who I am and the way I react. Yes, I did jump to conclusions, but I had reasons and if Vincent can't accept me the way I am...I just don't know…"

"Really sucks..." Tess uttered unhappily.

Lying in bed in Tess's apartment later that night, she and JT were discussing the situation. "So what are we gonna do about it. If Vince won't talk to her, how can he hope to resolve their issues?" Tess was asking.

"Vince isn't sure there's something to solve anymore, that's all. How would you feel if I kept wondering whether you'll pick up a gun and shoot someone for no reason?"

"That's not what it was! He told her he would be happier if the guy was dead!"

"If I told you I hate my boss' guts and he turned up dead the next day, you're saying you would automatically assume I might've killed him?"

"We're detectives JT. We see guilty people everywhere until proven innocent."

"I thought courts of law in America waited for the burden of proof before condemning people!" JT exclaimed, appalled at the response he just got. "Also, considering you know the kind of person I am, wouldn't you take that in consideration before putting the cuffs on me?"

"Not if you were holding the smoking gun," Tess replied testily. When she saw that JT was getting worked up she tried conciliation, "Look, when she tried to track this killer today, Cat said that the guy was probably dosed with the stuff Agent Levy stole from the dungeon. The guy or beast or what not, she can't even be sure what he was. When she tried to track him back to the original crime scene she couldn't find much more than a faint trace that led nowhere. But the point is Cat thinks this might be Agent Levy having used the serum..."

"And that helps how?" JT questioned.

"It's possible she jumped to conclusions because of a mix of that problem with the device you mentioned and the scent she picked up at the secondary crime scene the first time around, which apparently was similar to Vincent's…"

"Hum…I don't know if that would be enough to calm things down but maybe if we got them together that would help start a dialog?"

"Who knew in addition to be a little too impulsive, beasts are also real stubborn."

"I think that's just our friends…" JT said with the beginning of a smile. "Maybe great passion always comes with really big problems?"

"So, if we don't fight, we're not passionate enough?" Tess quipped, suddenly setting aside their friends' concerns.

"If you need reassurance on the subject," JT replied playfully, "We can start a fight right now and then we can make up…"

"How about we decide that was the fight, make up right now and skip all the unpleasantness?" Tess offered with a smile full of promises.

JT leaned over purposefully, "Thought you'd never ask…"

JT was surprised to see Vincent back at the lab so soon, considering he still had serious issues with the agency as JT still called them, especially after their latest intrusion in his life. "What are you doing here, man?"

"Remember I told you I had an idea. Yesterday, I was just starting to formulate it but the…well Claude's unfortunate demise may just have been the missing piece of the puzzle. I have to check a few things first but…I think that could work."

"What could work? You're being very cryptic!"

"I'm just not used to have to do this kind of things JT. I used to do things on my own, you know, protect us…Now it's gotten more complicated."

"Ok lay it on me. What's this big plan of yours?"

"Well, I'm sure you got the point of the emitters. I wasn't sure that would work but it's a start right?"

"Yeah I think it's a good temporary deterrent, but…"

"Exactly, I thought about it and I worried that they'd forget pretty quick. Particularly those guys…"

"Thick?" JT smiled teasingly.

"Thicker!" Vincent managed a smile as well. "But then, I remembered something Carson said yesterday about Claude's nickname."  
>"What was that? Bob, Dob?"<p>

"Bors…does that ring a bell?"

"Not per say, should it?"

"I guess it's because I studied it in college, you know the medieval stuff and the legends…"

"You mean the Arthurian legend again?"

"Right. Bors was one of the Knights of the Round Table."

"No kidding!"

"I was wondering if the nickname was only a coincidence or if it might not have something to do with who those guys are…"

"You mean to say that the knights of the round table are those brutes with half a brain you've been charged to deal with?"

"In a nutshell, I'm thinking they could be one and the same."

"So…assuming you're right, what's the plan?"

"Well there's no guaranty of course, but it can't be much worse than it's been so far and…" at this, Vincent hesitated slightly.

"And?"

"Alright, if I can rouse them into helping to catch whoever killed their friend…you know, unify them, then it would help solve Catherine's case…"

"Ah I see."

"No you don't. I'm just saying it would help her, period." The quick retort didn't really fool JT but he figured now wasn't the time to push the issue. Instead, he went on, "Anyway, this relies on seriously shaky grounds. How do we know those guys will react the way you want them to? I mean you're not, definitely not, king Arthur, and this isn't Camelot."

"Yeah, but if there's anything of those knights in there, they might very well want to avenge their friend, Right?"

"I see a big problem with that though..."

"Which is?" Vincent questioned pointedly.

"I'm not sure you thought this through. Catherine won't be too happy if you send the hounds after her suspect…not until we're sure what we're dealing with anyhow…"

Vincent winced at the thought. "You're right. I didn't think this through but I still have to deal with those guys one way or another and hopefully catch whoever killed Claude. The way Catherine described this killer's scent, I'm afraid prison is not gonna be an option…"

"I agree but the girls might not agree with you just yet." JT insisted. "So, what do you intend to do?"

"I'm afraid I'm gonna have to make it up as I go along." Vincent relented.

"Ouch…" JT's exclamation was only partly mocking.

"Hey!" Vincent protested.

"Alright, alright, I think the dungeon part of your idea is good. But I still don't see how that's gonna solve your long term problem."

"I do have a few ideas about that and you did mention that I should be a little more proactive with them."

"I think my exact words were less of a wimp." JT smiled widely.

"You wanna see less of a wimp right now," Vincent threatened.  
>"Calm down big guy! You haven't used that thing again right?"<p>

"Nope but I'm afraid the plan is for me to get a big exposure to it soon. So I need to test it.."

"Ok, so you want to test whether we're right about your so called immunity?"

"Exactly."

JT seemed to hesitate at this, which worried Vincent a little. "Anything you'd care to tell me?"

"Not now…just a detail or two I'd like to check into. How about you go have this talk with Agent Carson about your little beasties' origins and I'll go see Harold and maybe we could grab a bite on the way afterward?"

"Sounds like a plan."

Instead of heading into the lab however, as soon as Vincent left him alone JT headed outside, taking his cell phone back as he went. "Tess," he said as soon as she picked up, "I think we got a window here. Vincent doesn't know it yet but he needs Cat and that's the perfect opportunity…"

"What's the plan?" Tess replied with some enthusiasm.

"First, a nice little lunch between friends…"

After JT parked the car close enough to the diner he'd suggested, he turned to Vincent and the look of reproach there was plain to see. "You do know you can't surprise us right?" Vincent's annoyed expression was unmistakable.

"I just knew if I tried to explain my reasoning, you'd shot me down without giving me the chance."

"You were right about that," Vincent spat as he grabbed the door handle.

"How do you plan to test your little trick, Vince?" JT hurried to add.

That momentarily stopped Vincent. "What do you mean?"

"Were you planning on asking one of the guys you intend to trick? Because that might put a dent in your plan, thick or not."

"I don't need to test it," Vincent replied quickly, but JT could sense the hint of doubt he'd elicited.

"Right and if it doesn't work as you expect you might find yourself surrounded by seriously unhappy beasts."

"There's no reason it won't." Vincent protested again.

"Maybe you're willing to bet your life on it but I'm not. You need the one beast you can trust with your plan and that's Catherine, period."

"Besides," Vincent replied, although obviously wavering, "what makes you think she's gonna want to help?"

Inside the diner, Tess was having a similar issue. "He's gonna need you..."

"I don't think he wants me there," Catherine argued weakly.

Tess stared at her for a long moment. "You know what? For all your spookiness, you two are like a damn open book."

"Tess I thought you understood!"

"I understand alright. You two needed a time out and now you need to talk. Simple really. All we want you to do is talk and it doesn't take a you know what to see that you want to. Ever since you heard that big oaf coming you've been staring at the door!"

"But he didn't want to see me..."

"Yeah, that's probably why he mentioned to JT how he could help you with your case...open book. Now JT and I we're going give you a little space," Tess said but by then Catherine wasn't listening anymore.

Catherine's heart was thundering in her ears, so much so she could no longer separate it from Vincent's racing pulse when he entered the diner. She didn't dare look at him directly for she was afraid of seeing the same coldness she'd beheld in his eyes the last time they spoke.

"Well alright then," Tess started again, "try to be civil you guys." She then stood up and went to sit with JT at the diner's counter but neither Catherine nor Vincent really paid her much attention.

"Hey," he said softly as he stopped short of sitting at her table.

Catherine could feel the heat of his stare on her and she barely trusted her voice as she answered, "Hey."

"May I sit?"

"Of course," Catherine began with a hint of uncertainty but then she looked up and found only longing where she had feared rejection. "You look tired..."

"Didn't sleep much. You?"

"Same..." Catherine smiled tentatively, "I miss you..." she confessed in a whisper.

"Catherine, I can't..." he stopped and seemed to gather his wits. "Look JT said you could help me with the other beasts' issue."

"If that's all you want..."

"Catherine you're not being fair. You know that's not all I want. But just wanting something doesn't always mean we can have it." Their eyes met and Catherine saw clearly he was hurting as much as she did.

"Are you even gonna give us a chance?" Catherine asked tentatively.

"I love you so much Catherine...but if you don't trust me after all we've been through..."

"I never said I don't trust you, Vincent. I wanted you to tell me, to talk to me."

"You shouldn't even have doubted me! You know that if something like that...If I'd hurt Claude I'd have told you."

Catherine wanted so badly to hold him, tell him she didn't have any doubts. But even if it was mostly true, he had to want to believe it first. The silence weighed heavily on them for a long moment. "I love you, and I just hope you believe in us enough to go past this." When he still didn't make a move, Catherine's heart sank but she tried not to show her disappointment. "So, what's this plan of yours?"

"That was awkward!" Tess said before they headed in the dungeon later that day. "I mean JT and I we don't mind talking but you know..." Tess was referring to their lunch date where Catherine and Vincent had mostly remained quiet. When Catherine wouldn't speak she said, "and he didn't say anything about the plan?"

"He said it was better if he explained it here." Catherine answered flatly. She was about to enter the code in their new security system but Tess stopped her.

"Before we go in there, how are things with Vince?"

"We talked..." Catherine simply offered non commitally.

"Are you being vague on purpose?" Tess stared thoughtfully at her friend. "You know he'll come around right? The guy is crazy about you!"

"I can't think about that right now or I won't get through it ok?"

"Alright," Tess agreed reluctantly.

In the dungeon Vincent and JT were waiting a little nervously. The girls were surprised to see that they'd removed the paraphernalia from the large table and added many chairs. They'd even set water pitchers and glasses on it and basically made it look like a conference table. "Hum," Catherine questioned, "are you planning on proclaiming this place to the world officially? Is that the plan?" The slightly mocking note could've been badly received but it actually got the first smile out of Vincent.

"Not exactly no..."

"So...who's that all for?"

"First I'm planning on establishing my own headquarter here so...no more beast business at home." Vincent stopped and suddenly looked as if he'd been caught at something. "I meant, you know..."

"I think that's a great idea," JT came to his rescue. "Keeps beast business separate."

"Right," Vincent agreed uneasily. " But I needed a little insurance given how easily those guys misbehave."

"Really?" Tess asked curiously. "Pardon me, but what can you do that'll keep a bunch of beasts in line?"

"I think it's better you didn't know ahead but before we can even get to that, I need you Catherine to try as hard as you can to beast out now."

"What? That's what you want me to do?"

"That would be really useful yes."

Catherine gave him a puzzled look but she still went for the device in her coat pocket, turning it off. Although she'd gotten used to the slight hum of the device, she always appreciated the relative quietness that came from turning it off. Strangely this time, the sensation seemed to linger. So much so that she pulled the device halfway out of her pocket to look at it but saw that it was in fact turned off. Vincent was watching her expectantly and she shrugged it off. Try as she might however, the now familiar aura of the transformation wouldn't occur. "One would think I'd be annoyed enough but apparently not."

Unexpectedly, Vincent turned into the beast and rushed her, pushing her into the nearby wall. Angrily she reached for his arms, fairly expecting her beast to come out but nothing happened.

"What are you doing," Tess exclaimed fearfully, suddenly questioning her own assurances to Catherine about Vincent.

Vincent immediately released Catherine. "I'm sorry..." he apologized sincerely. "I just had to be sure."

All of a sudden, Catherine understood, "the device...you had it installed here."

"More accurately," JT said, "he had a series of them installed around the place."

"But you..."

"I told you before. The device apparently doesn't work on me, at least not unless the setting is pushed up to the highest level. Then I pass out but even that Harold think won't last."

"How? And do you mean to say the device never stopped you?"

"It would seem..."

"That's impossible...you were so angry lately and you acted out the other day."

"I had it turned off at the time so I didn't know. But now, I'm sure."  
>"How did you not turn all those times with the beasts?" Catherine wondered, astounded at the news.<p>

"I guess it was psychological, but I found that I'm not actually as prone to reacting badly as I used to be. Doesn't mean I can't get upset before you ask."

"You really didn't seem to have any problem just now." Catherine pointedly replied.

Vincent stared at her intently, "yes I'm angry, Catherine. Is that what you want to hear? I can't keep worrying about what you're gonna think whenever anything bad happens. Do you know what my problem is with those beasts?"

"I'm sure you're gonna tell me now," Catherine replied with mounting irritation. Deep down however she knew exactly what he would say.

"Yeah I see you got it. I was so worried of how you were gonna judge me, I wasn't doing what needed to be done."

"And what's that," Catherine asked, the anger in her voice now palpable.

JT began worrying seriously at this. "Maybe we should all calm down..."

For only answer, Vincent turned glowing eyes his way while pulling a remote control from his coat pocket. "How about you leave and I turn this off."

"Whoa, you can't be serious!" Tess exclaimed incredulously.

Catherine turned to her friend as calmly as she could under the circumstance, "Tess, you and JT need to leave right now."

"Have you two gone nuts?"

"Please Tess, don't make me force you out," Catherine replied, provoking a look of shock to spread on Tess' already tense features.

JT grabbed Tess hand then. "Come on, I think they need some time alone."

"No way!" However, JT ignored her protest and practically dragged her out.

After he'd secured the door, he let go of Tess, worried as he knew he was in for it. Instead of waiting for the explosion that was sure to come, he went on the offensive "I know what you're gonna say but I still believe they need to talk and one of the biggest problems they have is always holding back."

"Holding back from what? Killing each other?"

"Seriously Tess, you didn't see where this was going?"

"What?"

"Trust me, let's have a drink...or three and I suspect you'll get a call with an apology in a few hours."

"JT, they were gonna fight! Like beasts!"

"What I saw were two people desperate to end a painful fight. If they don't hash it out now, either they're done for good or worse, it's only gonna fester. Frankly I dont want to think what the war of the roses would look like between two beasts!"

"But what if he hurts her?" Tess insisted.

"From what I've seen Cat can defend herself just fine. Hell, I'm not even sure who would really be in trouble in there. Cat was already a fury before she turned into a beast. But," JT stayed a further protest, " I'm not worried and we should let them deal with their issues. Another very bad idea would be for us to take sides in that fight. Remember what happened the time they broke up because of her father? Ugly!"

"All the more reason..." Tess started again.

"What happened next, Tess?"

"It didn't happen this fast."

"Vince was out of his mind angry then and Catherine shot him to save her father. It was hard to expect them to kiss and make up right away. Also there was the matter of Gabe twisting her against Vincent. Things are very different now. Besides, you should know better...they're mad, not gone insane. Vincent would never hurt Catherine and I don't think she'd hurt him again for any reason. They just need to resolve this issue and I'm convinced it's as much Cat's issue as it is Vincent's."

"I guess you might be right but you should make those drinks stiff."

"Hear, hear!"

As soon as their friends had left, Vincent turned the devices off.

"So, what's that big plan of yours?" Catherine suddenly wasn't so certain she wanted to deal with their problem. She feared it might tear them apart further.

"How about we deal with the big elephant in the room first?" Vincent insisted, taking the decision away from her.

"At this point I'm not sure what it is...why did you want to turn these things off? Were you planning on us fighting for real?"

"Catherine what's wrong with you?"

"Me!" Catherine shouted, her eyes glowing involuntarily. "How about you and the house? And making death threats at the drop of a hat?"

"How about never trusting that I'll do the right thing Catherine! I've tried everything I could think of to convince you I'm not some cold blooded killer you have to keep in check!"

"You're being totally unfair. How many times did I defend you?"

"About as many times as you thought I did what I was suspected of... "

By then Catherine's stomach felt like a tight bundle of knots. She breathed hard, trying to fight against the tide but she knew she was failing. She actually tried to reach inside her pocket, intent on turning her device back on but Vincent stopped her, grabbing her arm in a vise. "Stop fighting it. I'm not scared of your beast. No more than you should fear me. Do you know what our real problem is? You still think of the beast as something driving you and because of that you believe I can't stop myself either. We've been dancing around the issue forever but even more so since you've become one. Let go!"

"Letting go could mean hurting people, hurting you. I can't do that."

"Catherine look at me," Vincent snapped.

"Why are you trying to make me mad," she almost pled.

"I'm trying to free you! Look at me," he insisted again, but this time the deep voice of the beast had sounded.

Catherine turned to him, anger flaring through her, knowing she had already changed but instead of the violent reaction she half expected to have, she felt a calm assurance that she was in charge, more in control than she'd even been as herself. The feeling was so clear, she wondered if the devices' effect was still lingering. He must have seen the change in her expression because Vincent relaxed visibly and his human form returned as well. "I told you many times before Catherine. You're more in control than you think. I've never worried about you hurting anyone. And here's the thing, I might have had problems with controlling myself in the past but I've changed and I need you to understand that. I'm convinced that you reacted the way you did because you believe being a beast automatically means being out of control."

The speech had the effect of calming Catherine enough that she changed back as well but she was still uncertain about the last part, "the way you acted at the house, how's that supposed to make me believe you're not in any danger of hurting someone?"

"I'm not allowed to get angry?" Vincent animatedly questioned. "I didn't hurt anybody…I know how it looked and true enough, being angry for me…for us, might be a little more destructive than the average but that doesn't mean I'm gonna go on a killing spree."

"I know you think I shouldn't be so suspicious but you gotta admit, it wasn't always so clear how you would react, Vincent. I love you. That doesn't change. But you can't expect me to change who I am because of it. I'm a detective, not just because I work as one but because it's become second nature to me and I had to ask you because the circumstances pointed at you. I'm sorry that it hurt you so much but you've never even given me the chance to tell you I made a mistake."

Vincent's expression softened somewhat at this but she could still read pain in his eyes.

"I just need you to believe in me, Catherine."

"I do," Catherine said softly, finally moving closer to him. "Look, I do believe in you but I'm not infallible. If you expect me to be perfect, how can you hope never to be disappointed? Nobody is perfect. That doesn't mean I love you any less."

Vincent tentatively put his hands on her waist. "I'm always scared you'll stop believing in me. That's why I reacted the way I did."

"I know," Catherine replied as she leaned against him, "and just as long as you don't go on that killing spree, you don't have to worry," she added with a smile as she looked up.

"Very funny," Vincent protested lightly. When he looked into her eyes he saw that light that he'd been missing dearly the past few days. "You know," he began while tightening his hold on her, "there's a silver lining to having a fight...at least I hear."

"I heard that too...how about we put it to the test right now?" Catherine asked, pulling his head toward her.

For all answer, Vincent kissed her passionately, lifting her off the floor and sitting her on the table with all the glassware.

By the time Jt and Tess came back there wasn't a single glass that wasn't smashed to pieces on the dungeon floor. Only one pitcher was left on the table, hanging precariously close to the edge. Tess pushed it back, shaking her head. For a moment, she had really feared the worst until she heard a familiar giggle coming from the other room. "I hate to say it," she told JT, half joking, "but when you're right, you're right."

"And don't you forget it woman!" JT smiled widely. "Hey," he called loudly, even though he was convinced they already knew of their presence, "you better be decent. Man or beast," he added with a self amused expression.

"You're such a dweeb!" Tess chastised him good naturedly.

"Sorry about the mess," Catherine said as she came in through the door to the cells. She actually looked a little surprised herself. "We'll take care of that..." she added apologetically.

"Is everything alright," Tess asked, a lingering hint of worry apparent to her best friend.

"Well, funny you should ask...JT you wouldn't happen to have a change of clothes with you?"

With an embarrassed wince, Vincent entered shirtless behind Catherine. "A shirt'll do," he said.

"Whatever happened to...?" JT exclaimed. "Never mind," he pursued with a knowing look, "so happens I got a spare shirt in the back."

JT returned with a t-shirt that said 'Come to the nerd side. We have Pi'.

"Not quite my style but thanks," Vincent said as he put on the shirt. "To be honest though, I don't think that's the kind of statement I wanna make in front of those beasts."

"You're right," JT quipped, "most of them wouldn't have a clue."

"JT...Are you saying a beast can't be that bright?" Vincent questioned pointedly, staring at his friend with mocked accusation.

"I'd never...you both got claws," JT replied with a shudder of pretend fright.

"That's better," Vincent shot back with the hint of a smile. "Still, not gonna scare them much with geeky sayings."

Catherine turned a suspicious glare his way, "scare them?"

"Ok now don't jump to conclusions again...although..."

"Hey! That's no joking matter!"

"Breathe alright! We're just talking about a little persuasion here. By now I'm sure you figured out those guys don't respond to diplomacy or conciliation."

"So now you're planning what? Maiming a few?"

Vincent stared at her incredulously. "Well that didn't take long now did it?"

"Remember what I said about me and what I am? No matter what those guys are like, I can't just stand by while you plan to break the law."

"I'm with my girl here," Tess agreed.

"Alright, what if I were to tell you it's just a big show. Besides I'm not stupid enough to risk them all coming at me, no matter what my friend here thinks of my brain power..."

That elicited another amused smile from JT.

"It's the showing part that has me worried," Catherine said, although she actually seemed somewhat reassured.

"Trust me?"

Catherine pursed her lips uncertainly but in spite of a lingering doubt she nodded yes.

"Almost forgot," JT exclaimed, "agent Carson wants you to call him ASAP. That's actually why we came back."

"Alright, let's get out of here. Gotta change anyway," Vincent added, indicating the geeky shirt. As soon as they cleared the outer door, both Catherine's and Tess' phones rang with text messages. "Oh, uh," Catherine said unhappily. "I suspect I know why agent Carson is calling."

"What's going on?" Vincent questioned, alerted by her worried expression.

"They just found another mauled body..." Tess answered for her.

"Crap!" JT exclaimed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter IV

No obvious signs of struggle at the scene told Catherine that once again the body had been moved. At least, what was left of it. One of his arms had been torn clean out of its socket and was nowhere to be found. The face was mangled beyond recognition and the internal organs were clearly visible through the wide opened chest cavity. Even so, by the scent, she could tell this one was completely human but not so much its attacker. That one was at once similar to the one she'd identified before and different as well. She quickly figured out what it was and a shudder went through her. This was a different beast.

"One would think it's a wild animal but either this beast is roaming the city...or it has taken to bringing back its kills right on our doorstep." The recently appointed coroner was commenting on the unusual circumstances.

Catherine had also noted the proximity to the last scene, which Vincent and JT were right then looking at discreetly, only two doors down on the same street.

Tess tore herself from the horrible spectacle of the body as the coroner covered it with a sheet and she immediately noticed the look of alarm on her friend's features. "What is it," she asked covertly but tensely.

"We need to get back to Vincent and track this beast."

"Cat, you can't just go after this thing. I know they think it's an animal but what if they figure out it's not and that you got in the way of the investigation? Besides you said it yourself, this killer is damn good at covering its tracks.

"Killers…" Catherine corrected.

"What?" Tess exclaimed a little too loud, attracting the unwanted attention of the technicians working the scene. She pulled Catherine further out, ignoring the curious stares. "What are you talking about?"

"There's more than one of those things. And I mean things…" Catherine added, looking back at the now covered corpse with an intensely worried look about her.

"Beast wasn't bad enough?"

Catherine turned tensely to her partner, "I don't know what they are but I do know they're not like Vincent and I or any of the other beasts. There's something definitely more animal about them. I don't think it's a good idea to let our guys track them down, Tess."

"You're seriously siding with Vince on that, Cat? I thought you were a detective first."

"Come on Tess, you know me. I wouldn't say this if I didn't have a good reason. Besides, you know what the danger would be to incarcerate a beast, and that includes Vincent or me for that matter. But those…" Catherine had an involuntary shudder at this.

"Wow, do they scare you?" Tess asked with renewed worry.

"What scares me is that we might be facing a brand new threat, Tess. And the fact that there is more than one is what should terrify you as well."

"Have no doubts, the scared part kicked in a while ago. But how do you plan to deal with it under the nose of the NYPD?"

"Won't be the first time and I'm hoping you'll help, even though I know it's much to ask…"

"Ah, you know I will. In for a penny…" Tess relented, but the look of worry didn't leave her features. "And you really can't find any tracks?" Tess asked tensely. "I mean a mess like that how could it not have blood dripping off all over the place."

The coroner walking toward them cut the discussion short. "Ladies," the young medical examiner started, "I know this would seem clear cut but I'm afraid the plot is thickening."

Catherine hoped he didn't catch her quick intake of breath. "I can't imagine why...I mean looks like a wild animal to me. We should probably pass this on to the wild life services."

"Under any other circumstance I'd agree with you, but there are too many things that don't add up."

"Like what?" Tess asked, doing her best to conceal her own anxious reaction.

"For one I've never seen a case of two very different animals going after the same prey. At least not at the same time… All the wounds are perimortem." A pregnant pause told the man he got their attention. "Have you ever seen a lion with horns?"

Tess turned a covertly questioning stare toward Catherine but this one was intensely waiting for what was certain to be the coroner's conclusion to his own rhetorical question.

"I see you haven't either. Then, of course, there's the glaring lack of blood around the body or even leading to it. There's also gravel on this lot but not even a hint of the body having been dragged or animal tracks. I'm telling you, I'm beginning to lean toward a more mundane, if horrific, explanation."

"And what would that be," Catherine asked even though she knew and dreaded what was coming.

"I think we got a very sick puppy on our hands...just not the animal variety."

"You can't be serious," Catherine tried, "I mean look at the damage on the body!"

"I have...I can't tell you yet what kind of weapon was used but I've got to warn you that in my opinion, those are only the first bodies of many to come if you don't catch this monster."

This was the only thing Catherine agreed with wholeheartedly. She watched the EMTs put the remains inside a body bag with a chill that had nothing to do with the breeze.

"What the hell was he trying to do to you?" JT directed at Vincent, floored as he was by the description the girls gave them of the ME's conclusions.

"I'm guessing you're referring to Jeremy and I suppose you'd know better than I since it seems he's been working with you on this."

Tess turned to Catherine and breathed, "you told him?"

"Yes she did," Vincent answered for Catherine, reminding Tess once more that their hearing was more than human. "Still, that doesn't tell us what was in there."

"Honestly," JT dejectedly admitted, "Jeremy wasn't as helpful as we thought he'd be. He really did forget a lot of the stuff he did as this Arturo guy. He was only certain of what he had tried before, by mixing your DNA with his. But now, it's obvious the maniac had gone a step further or…"

"Or what?" Vincent questioned warily.

"Or this Agent Levy brought the serum to some outfit who then tried to…refine the process. Would begin to explain why there's more than one…"

"And you think the ME is right and that these things have horns?" Catherine still couldn't wrap her mind around that one. "You don't think someone is walking around town with horns on their heads?"

"I'm not sure about that," Vincent replied, a little amused in spite of it all by the image that thought elicited. A clear picture of the Hellboy character came to his mind. "Anyway," he went on, "that might explain the smell."

"What smell?" Catherine questioned.

"You haven't been on a farm since, well..."

"Forever really. I've never been."

JT stared incredulously, "really? You've never been?"

"I'm a city girl, JT. Cows scare me," Catherine added lightly.

"Hum," Vincent interjected a little more seriously, "that particular bull should really scare you."

"Bull?"

"Yeah, bull. For some reason that's the animal scent I'm picking up."

"You mean to say there's some kind of Hellboy walking around New York?" JT exclaimed, obviously having achieved the same mental image as his friend.

"Hellboy?" Catherine's clueless expression surprised the boys.

"You've never heard of it?" JT questioned incredulously "I think your life experience is seriously lacking," he added a little cheekily.

"Don't mind him, Cat," Tess offered. "I only know of this inane character because of all my childish brothers."

"And now I feel totally insulted," JT protested.

"Let's move on," Catherine said. "I still don't know what that means though."

"Imagine a demon, complete with horns mixed with a beast," Tess answered soberly.

Suddenly the image wasn't as funny for any of them anymore. "Ok, as if I hadn't been worried enough before," Catherine trailed after visualizing what they might be facing. "And on top of that, our guys are going to be looking for that now, thinking they'll find a person with the ME's conclusions."

"Which means that once more we're at cross purpose with the police…and that's gonna put you both in the situation of lying to your superiors again," Vincent pointed out.

"Great," Tess commented unhappily.

"Although I doubt they'll find him, or them, before we do," Vincent added then.

"Why would you say that?" Catherine worried.

"Until now I hesitated to tell you this, but there's no way we can let these things come to light Catherine…"

"What are you suggesting," she asked, already agreeing reluctantly.

"I can't tell exactly where those things are now, but I suspect they're somewhere down there," Vincent indicated a large storm drain in the middle of the parking lot.

"You don't mean to go down that hole, do you?" Tess questioned as she went near the hole and remembered vividly the last time she was down in the sewers.

"I don't think they used that hole," Vincent replied, after examining the manhole's cover thoughtfully. Then he headed down the street without another word.

"Where are you going," Catherine called, hurrying behind him.

"You know for almost ten years I couldn't quite show up in the light of day, in case someone recognized me, right?"

"Yes, so?" Catherine asked as she followed him a few paces behind, and their friends struggled to catch up with them.

Instead of answering right away, Vincent headed further down the street and as they all followed him past the last building, he jumped off into a deep culvert that none of the others had noticed before. When they got to the spot where he'd disappeared from view, they saw him standing ten feet down in front of a tunnel's entrance. "I had to travel underground and I just remembered one of the openings was nearby," he finally answered Catherine's question.

"Do you think that's why they dumped the bodies around here?" Tess asked even as she stared at the tunnel with obvious reluctance.

Catherine understood how she felt and she offered her friend the out she needed. "Look, someone's got to get back to the precinct to monitor what they found out and if something else happened. Vincent and I we can go in by ourselves."

"I can't let you go down there to face these monsters by yourselves," Tess protested.

"Come on Tess, we can defend ourselves AND we can see in the dark…"

Tess nodded unhappily and Catherine gave her a quick hug before jumping down the culvert behind Vincent.

"How will we know if you're alright?" JT asked worriedly.

"We'll let you know as soon as we can… We're gonna be just fine," Vincent added for their friends' benefits as much as his and Catherine's. "You should go back to the agency and mobilize the agents there JT. Let them know exactly what we found out and maybe Harold's got good news with that antidote thing…But we can't wait any longer. We may already be too late to save the next victim."

"Will do," JT replied, showing a confidence to his friend he wasn't so sure was warranted. "Be careful!"

"Right," Vincent only said before heading inside the tunnel, soon followed by Catherine.

The first level of the sewer was relatively well lit at this time of day. At least it was to those who had cat like vision. However, Vincent didn't expect to find what they were looking for this easily. "If what I think is true, we're gonna have to go much deeper into the tunnels to find those things Catherine. I hope you're prepared for that."

"I wouldn't say I'm prepared but I'm not backing down if that's what you're asking." Catherine said as she examined a side tunnel for any trace of their quarry. That was one of many such branches in the very complex underground system that crisscrossed underneath New York City. New and old tunnels sometimes met, so extensive the network of those tunnels was. To the point where one could wonder what might happen if a serious seismic event were to hit the city someday. Catherine wasn't prepared to admit it to Vincent just yet, considering their current task, but she was feeling seriously stressed out at the idea of going deeper into the tunnel system. She'd never been comfortable with being in the sewer before at any rate. At least now she could see better but the idea of all that weight over her head was oppressing. "Why do you think they're deeper?"

"Well, it's not exactly a crowded space but there are workers coming in here regularly. If the beasts we're looking for are hiding, they're most likely deeper, where fewer people might see them."

"So you don't think they can change back to human form?" Catherine asked, although she had suspected the same thing.

"I'm sure you've noticed that there's barely anything human left in them. I'm actually surprised they had the wits to move the bodies without leaving a trace and that got me wondering."

"About what?"

"I'm not sure but…I've been wondering if either someone is helping them…or maybe one of them has just enough mind left to try sending a message."

"A message? Like what?" Catherine showed genuine surprise at this. It didn't occur to her that the crime scene might have been staged, not considering the savagery of the kills.

"I don't think the killings are the message, if that's what you're thinking. Maybe the bodies themselves are. Like a call for help."

"You really think so?" Catherine asked.

The whole time they had been walking further into the tunnels but at this, Vincent stopped and turned to her. "Catherine, I got to tell you. Even if I believed those things were asking for our help, I wouldn't let that stop me from ending the threat. At least, not if I find what I'm expecting."

"Which is what?" Catherine questioned pointedly, a knot in her stomach forming again at the thought of where this was leading.

"If we find those are more animals than humans, they'd represent a mortal danger to others, Catherine. They've already proven that. And we've established that they couldn't possibly be brought to justice. I hope you're prepared for that as well…"

"I guess what you're asking me is whether I'll judge you if you decide to kill them?" Catherine couldn't help an edge to seep through her question.

"Actually no," Vincent replied, surprising her. "I simply don't want you to try to stop me. I'm not gonna kill them outright but I won't hesitate if I find they're as dangerous as they seem to be. You getting in the way is only gonna put you in danger and I won't have that."

Catherine held his stare for a moment, wondering if they were once again facing one of those moments she dreaded but then she didn't see a murderous rage or even any anger in Vincent's eyes. "You really don't believe we can help them?"

"Catherine, if you have a solution, I'm open to suggestions but I won't risk your life or anyone else's to save beasts that have already killed. When I was burdened with those 'beasts' duties', as Agent Carson called them, it included the responsibility of deciding whether a beast should be allowed to live. That's mostly what's been weighing on me this whole time, you should know that."

Although the thought had evidently crossed her mind more than once in the past few months, she had never truly wondered what it would do to Vincent if the worst came to pass. She took his hand in hers and pressed gently. "I'm sorry I didn't try to understand it better. I should've known. I've let you carry this burden all on your own…"

"It wasn't yours to bear." Vincent replied intently.

"That's where you're wrong. We're a team, aren't we? I think I understand better now and whatever happens, it's up to both of us together to take the responsibility."

"I've got no right to ask you to do that."

"Who says you have a choice? I've just told you. We're a team and we'll face what's to come together. Unless you think I'm just some cave woman and I have no saying in our relationship?"

"Of course not…although I must say," Vincent pursued with a lewd smile, "that image holds some appeal…"

"Get that out of your head, Tarzan. Me not your Jane!" The smile that accompanied this spoke otherwise, however.

"Jeez are you trying to calm things down or get me hotter?"

"Would you get your mind out of the gutter and concentrate? I'm being serious here!" Catherine's admonition didn't have the weight it was meant to however because she also felt the warmth coursing through her. She knew that being beasts did have an effect on their judgement at times and this one definitely was one of them. They could have been derailed from their current undertaking entirely but for a loud growl coming from deep in the bowels of the earth, which dropped a cold pall on their craving. "Do you think…?"

"If it's not them, whatever it is has got to be just as bad," Vincent soberly replied. "Rain check?" he still added with a little smile before pulling away and resolutely heading down the tunnel.

Catherine only wavered an instant before following him, the chills running up and down her spine no longer ones of anticipation.

The roar came again but much closer this time as Vincent and Catherine had already gone down two levels. Even their extraordinary vision had now become all but useless, so that they had changed and followed a thin trail Catherine had finally detected just a few moments ago. "I can't believe you detected that through the stench," Vincent marvelled. "But now that you're saying it, I think I got it too and I also believe it to be agent Levy."

"You got that right about the stench. It's god awful!"

"It's hard to believe people live in here," Vincent replied soberly. "Particularly knowing that without JT, I could have been one of them."

They'd only been this deep for a short while but they had already sensed many humans around. Catherine even noticed the faint glow of a fire in the distance, which explained how she managed to see again. However the misery she witnessed choked her. She even tried to go to a young woman covered in sores but Vincent stopped her. "You can't help her, Catherine. She'll defend her little corner with her life and you might end up hurting her rather than helping."

She was tempted to protest but just then she sensed the violent aggression emanating from the woman, along with the fact that she was brandishing a mean looking knife. What amazed Catherine was the fact that this woman actually seemed to see them in the near total darkness. She'd obviously been in there quite some time to have adapted this well and that saddened Catherine all the more.

Probably sensing her distress, Vincent stopped and turned to her, his deep voice cutting through the heavy silence again. "If you want we can come back another time...try to help some of them under less dire circumstances, Catherine. They may not want our help but they might still need it."

Catherine stared a moment longer at the woman before she answered. "I think I'd like to do something. I'm just not sure if anything will make a dent in this misery."

Another even louder growl sounded out of the darkness, this time followed by a blood curdling human scream and Catherine noticed that the young woman had gone, most likely into a side tunnel. The screaming had come from the same direction as the glow of the fire and the closer they got to it the clearer and more horrible things got. The smell of death had already told the story to them but the sight they came upon was only made the more horrifying for it. There they found mounds of bodies that had obviously been chewed on and pulled apart by something or someone of extreme savagery. Catherine shuddered from the shock and turned away. "Oh my god," she breathed out, fighting through the nausea.

Although Vincent felt pretty much the same about the awful sight, made even worse because of the fire warming the cavern was making the scents near unbearable, he still rallied and tried his best to sort the scent they'd been following from this horror. "Watch our six, Catherine. I think I got a strong sense of agent Levy just beyond this room."

"You can't go after him alone," Catherine worriedly protested.

"He seems to be alone back there but we don't know if the other one is nearby, Catherine. I need you to watch my back," Vincent replied tensely.

Catherine couldn't help wondering if he was trying to protect her but at the same time they'd already established that there was at least one more of those beasts. "Be careful!"

"You too," Vincent said as he cautiously made his way across the lair.

Catherine watched him disappear in the opposite opening with mounting apprehension. The relative quiet was getting to her too. Until not too long ago she had sensed other people around even if she couldn't see most of them. Right now however, she realized that other than the faint heartbeat of her lover and possibly the even fainter one of his quarry, no living sound could be heard above the crackling of the waning fire.

And yet, somehow Catherine felt that something was wrong before it actually happened and it saved her life. She had hardly any warning before a strong new heartbeat, foreign to her, could be heard right behind her. On instinct alone, she blurred further into the room of death just as a monstrous beast hit the wall in front of which she'd been standing only a fraction of a second before with such force that one of his horns' tips broke clean off. The animal, which was the only way Catherine found to call this monstrosity, was huge and sported not only the beastly features she had expected but also a pair of horns that would've given pause to the bravest matador. The damaged one only rendered the feature even more fearsome in the firelight if that was possible. All of this she took in one instant before she blurred again, narrowly avoiding being impaled by the beast, who could blur just as fast but didn't seem to think ahead. Unsure what she could really do against this monster, she still determined to attempt an attack of her own.

First she blurred a few times from side to side and behind the beast, trying to confuse him, which she apparently succeeded at because the animal didn't seem to know which way to turn after a few tries. He still sensed her behind him but too late to react before Catherine planted her extended claws firmly in the back of his neck, eliciting a howl that nearly killed Catherine's resolve. Still, she held on as the beast shook from side to side trying to swat at her with his thick arms but coming just short of her. She felt warm blood abundantly bursting out of the beast's neck but it still stood tall nevertheless. In apparent desperation, he tried to crush her against the wall behind them and she moved sideways just before it happened, enlarging the neck wound as she did. When he failed to get rid of his opponent the beast roared and started running in the direction Vincent had taken earlier, dragging Catherine as he did.

Vincent's encounter with the beast he had formerly known as Agent Levy went quite differently. Instead of the aggression he had feared, he felt only confusion in the horned man beast facing him in the darkness. A few jumbled words even escaped the man's thickened lips but they made no sense to Vincent and he remembered he was still carrying the dampener, turned off at the moment. On a whim, he turned it back on, feeling its mitigated effects on himself but he saw that it did have a much stronger effect on the beast facing him. It didn't return to human form as others would have but somehow, the beast itself managed to retreat and the man that Agent Levy had once been stood there, albeit with the deadly horns still in place along with a thick hide that made him look as black as his former partner.

"Help," was the only word that came out of his mouth just before Vincent sensed something incensed with rage and pain barrelling down toward him. He heard Catherine's warning just before turning sideways, barely avoiding being hit in the back by the second beast. He felt more than saw that Catherine was in trouble when the dampener removed her ability to maintain her beast form and she lost her hold on the beast when her claws retracted. He grabbed her as she fell off the charging beast's back and the animal barely seemed to register the change as he continued his charge, even diminished by the dampener, and collided with a now helpless Agent Levy. On instinct, Vincent, now the only full beast standing, went for the second beast and pulled him off from the agent, twisting his neck to finish him before he dropped him unceremoniously on the rocky floor of the tunnel. One of the animal's horns had cut a deep hole into Agent Levy's chest, and right away Vincent knew that the man had little time left, as he could sense that his heart was losing the battle for survival.

He saw the former agent falling slowly to the floor of the tunnel, his face expressing a kind of relief rather than the fear that should have been present then. Vincent quickly headed for the fallen man, no longer worried about the beast within. "What happened," he still questioned tensely. "Tell me! What have you done?"

Vincent could sense the pitiful pleading in the other man's eyes, the remorse but he couldn't let his resolve weaken now. "What have you done," he repeated louder.

"Sold…bad…" Agent Levy managed through increasingly laboured breathing. "We…failures…more…"

"More what," Catherine asked as she came closer.

"More…failures in here…but…" Agent Levy's life blood was now mostly on the tunnel's floor, but the strength of the beast within still held him. Vincent wanted to risk turning off the dampener to keep him alive a little longer but he feared it would take away the man's ability to speak as it apparently had earlier.

"How many," he asked, shaking the agent in an attempt at keeping him awake a little longer.

"more…ten…more…but," the agent trailed again.

"But what?" Catherine questioned with a deep chill at the thought of ten more of those things roaming around them in the sewers.

"They succeeded…" the agent breathed out as he expired before being able to tell them anything more.

"Who are they?" Vincent still questioned intensely as he dropped the man on his back and began compressions, hoping to bring him around. However he soon gave up on the futile attempt. He sensed the same dismay in Catherine as he felt himself right then.

"What do we do now?" she asked shakily.

"We can't fight that many by ourselves," Vincent answered after a beat. "We need help."

She acquiesced weakly but still asked, "what about the success he talked about?"

"I don't know," Vincent dejectedly admitted.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Back at the John Reynolds society, JT had indeed called upon the agents and these had already assembled a group of their best, particularly after they heard from Vincent and Catherine. However, even if he appreciated this first effort, Vincent also determined that they should implement his earlier plan with the beasts.

"So what you're saying is your friend is asking us to postpone this chase?" Agent Carson reproachfully questioned JT. His men were ready, according to him, and he didn't understand the need for a delay.

"First of all, Vincent and Catherine have seen these beasts up close so I suspect they know better. He also mentioned that although the dampers could be of some use, they don't completely stop those beasts. But even if they did there aren't enough left here to do the trick. And before you ask," JT pursued quickly, "those we have in the dungeon will serve a big purpose. You'll finally get to collaborate with your beasts instead of looking out for them...at least that's the plan."

"I still say it rests on seriously shaky ground," agent Carson replied doubtfully.

"We'll have to see, won't we?" JT told him with more assurance than he felt. "Meanwhile, there's still the matter of containment. That's really what we're counting on your men for."

"I've already alerted as many of our people as I could. They're watching the main exits to the sewers but I'm afraid it's more of a band aid than anything else."

"Give Vincent a chance. That's the very reason for the delay."

"Are you sure you're comfortable with him around," Catherine questioned back in the dungeon.

"He's essential to the plan," was Vincent's only answer.

Catherine could feel the doubts pouring out of him. "Why do you need Jeremy?"

"I need something that will bring those beasts in line."

"I don't like the way you're saying that. Those guys have managed to throw you over the edge more than once and to have all of them here..." Catherine herself was feeling the malaise deep within her. The proximity of a dozen beasts didn't sit well with her either and she couldn't fathom how Vincent would deal with it without the benefit of the dampening device.

They were waiting in the cell room while the beasts were settling down, apparently having a grand time with each other. That at least was a good sign. At least that's what Vincent told her. An agent had been dispatched to let the beasts in and Vincent was preparing for some stunt but he didn't want to divulge too much about it other than the fact it involved Jeremy.

The man in question was waiting deep in the lower level, waiting for his cue. That part at least Catherine understood even if she wasn't sure what good it would do other than possibly making those beasts angry.

Earlier, they had dragged agent Levy's body back out of the sewer and for that too they had called upon the agency, leaving them the burden of taking care of it. Harold had immediately laid claim to it in the hope that those remains would help with a possible counteragent to the new threat. There was little chance that he could work it out soon enough to help in the upcoming hunt however.

"Are they all here," she asked, seeing that Vincent was watching the proceedings with mounting agitation.

"Yeah," he answered shortly. Turning to her he tried more calmly, "Catherine I need you to refrain from undermining me for any reason alright? You gotta trust me."

Catherine nodded her assent but a doubt still lingered, mostly because she feared whatever Vincent had planned might be dangerous to him. She was surprised all the more when as he headed in the main room, Vincent seemed to calm down, although she also sensed a certain level of aggressiveness had come to replace the nerves. Her own anxiety rose at this but she stayed back, waiting for his signal as they had agreed earlier.

"At least, I see you can answer a summon without causing more trouble," Vincent began without preamble.

"Nice digs boss," one of the feistiest beasts, named Justin replied, ignoring the slight altogether.

For once Vincent also ignored the appellation he had come to abhor and instead went straight to the heart of the matter. "I'm sure by now you've all heard of what happened to your friend Claude."

"Sad," Justin spoke up again, but the way he said it left a lot of doubt on the sentiment expressed. "I hope that's not why you got us all here. Unless of course you're planning some party to celebrate his life."

Vincent moved closer to the feisty man, staring at him angrily, which made Catherine uncomfortable anew.

"I knew you were just a bunch of idiot brutes but I at least thought you'd care what happened to one of you."

This of course had the effect she expected as both Vincent and the other man turned and confronted each other. For a few seconds Catherine feared that the dampening field had failed. But then the beast called Justin turned back to his human self to his obvious dismay. "What the hell did you do to me?" Justin exclaimed indignantly. A little hint of unease mixed in as he saw that Vincent was still a beast and was now staring none too kindly at him. Another beast turned further down the long table, apparently intent on defending either his friend or himself, worrying Catherine anew, but the moment he came near Vincent, he turned back as well.

The rest of the assembled beasts became increasingly agitated even as Catherine sensed that Vincent grew in confidence. It was only when the full force of the dampening field hit her that she understood what he'd been trying to do.

Try as they might none of the beasts could turn while Vincent remained in his beast form himself. After giving them enough time to process their sudden loss, Vincent addressed them. "How about you all sit down and listen now?"

When many of them still showed signs of aggressiveness, Vincent grabbed the first one he'd been confronted by and he sat him so hard in his chair they all heard the seat cracking and the scream of indignation quickly morphing into a yelp of pain. "Shut the hell up!" Vincent then screamed so loud Catherine felt it in her bones.

This time it had the desired effect but the aggression emanating from most of the beasts was palpable.

"What have you done to us," another beast called Simon, who'd been a thorn in Vincent's side more than once, asked tensely.

"Not much yet," Vincent answered menacingly, "but I'm ready to demonstrate to you what's in store for any one of you jokers if you don't start taking me seriously." He then signaled to Catherine and she didn't have to ask why. She soon returned followed by Jeremy who seemed to make a big impression on everyone except Vincent.

"Where were you?" Justin asked the question that was obviously on all their minds. "We thought you were dead!"

"I might as well have been..."

Catherine felt the dampening field recede and right away the beasts stared in astonishment at their former leader.

"You're human!" A few of them exclaimed at the same time.

"Yes," Jeremy replied dejectedly. "And for good too. Count yourselves lucky that it's only temporary for you."

"Who did that to you?" Justin asked and just before the field came back up the men in the room had only time to feel their respective beast before it was taken away again.

"The same one who's gonna take care of your beast permanently if you don't start being of some use," Vincent harshly declared.

"How can you do that?" Simon asked.

Jeremy took that one, "remember all the stories I told you about our creator and the first?"

"No way! Those were just stories!"

"No they were not," Vincent firmly said, "and the creator recently left me with a little power. I alone can decide whether you'll remain a beast or not." He paused only long enough for them to process what he'd just told them. "So who here wants to take that risk?" For the first time, Vincent felt their budding fear, telling him he might be close to success.

"Take it easy man...we didn't mean anything by it..." Simon finally relented.

"We'll see," Vincent said in a calmer fashion. "First I'm gonna need you to prove your worth and at the same time help avenging your friend." When no one protested, Vincent explained his plan to them and to his amazement, not only did they agree, they in fact showed the enthusiasm he had hoped for but not dared to expect.

Two hours later, most of the beasts were paired to agents and entered the sewers with the express instruction to detect the rogue beasts and to assist the agents in either capturing or terminating them but only as determined by their assigned human partners.

Even more amazing to all concerned, the sweep actually yielded seven live beasts the agents managed to subdue with the help of their beast, while three couldn't be saved.

The survivors were then brought back to the dungeon and kept sedated.

Catherine watched the last of the strange beasts being led into one of the cells with a mixture of awe and anxiety.

"I can hardly believe it."

"Doesn't sound like you had much confidence in my plan," Vincent said reproachfully.

"I think I had as much confidence as you did," Catherine answered lightly.

Vincent couldn't help a little smile. "Right...I gotta admit it was a long shot!"

"And Jeremy did help a lot," Catherine added.

Vincent frowned in puzzlement. "Since when are you on the Jeremy bandwagon?"

"I'm not exactly with him but after spending some time with the man today, I got the impression that he really wants to get to know you better and maybe...maybe you'd gain by doing the same. In a way he really is your family..."

"Really?" Vincent asked noncommittally.

"It's up to you, of course..."

"How about we deal with those new beasts first? Then I'll give some thoughts to your suggestion."

"That's actually the other problem I worry about. What are we gonna do with them?"

"I thought you'd appreciate the fact that I'm trying to save them."

"I do," Catherine replied warmly. "I'm just worried about what will happen if Harold fails. The other beasts might not believe you anymore."

"We got to trust in him and JT."

"I guess...do you think we could get out of here for a while? I may not wish them ill but frankly I'm not real comfortable in their company."

Even tranked and behind bars the strange beasts were a fearsome sight indeed. It was even scarier in the relatively well lit room, where the features of the animals were plain to see. After making sure the dampening field was in function, they left the beasts in the hands of agents sent from the John Reynolds society with a sense of relief.

"I'm still amazed none of them has any clue what's going on." Vincent said, referring to the beasts he'd been assigned to take care of. They walked hand in hand down the relatively quiet street leading to Catherine's apartment as they talked.

"Wouldn't do if they found out your power is a little more today than you led them to believe."

"Harold assures me that none of them has even heard of those devices. He was beta testing the things anyway and now we know that they're flawed. But hopefully he'll find the cure for the beasts we have in the dungeon before the flaw becomes an issue."

"Does he think we're all going to get immunized against it?"

"He's really not sure yet but he still thinks I'm unique. It's just that he also found out that it causes some imbalances he called them...mood swings in short."

"So you're really thinking that our fight had something to do with the devices?"

Vincent stopped and turned to Catherine then, "Actually not entirely, I don't think so. Although our reactions must have been seriously skewed by the fact that it was faulty…I still think we needed to have it out, Catherine."

"What do you mean?"

"I told you, I needed you to trust me and today you demonstrated that you did."  
>"How?" Catherine puzzled.<p>

"By letting me do what was needed to be done with those beasts and not jumping to conclusions. That's progress…"

"I didn't say I didn't have my doubts more than once…" Catherine admitted.

"And I expected you would…I just needed you to trust that I would do the right thing in the end, that's all."

"I never doubted that's what you wanted to do, Vincent. I was just worried about…you know…how you reacted lately…"

"But that's the thing…I'm now more confident of my control than I've been in years…I even…" He stopped, not sure if he wanted to utter out loud the hope he was now nurturing.

"What's that?" Catherine asked softly.

"I…what would you think if I said I'd like to practice medicine again?"

"If you really feel you could do it..." Catherine said with a hint of hesitation.

"You don't believe I could?" Vincent's disappointment with her answer was painful to Catherine.

"I'm sorry...I didn't mean that you couldn't...it's just you already got so much pressure on you..."

"Look I know it'd be difficult but I'm sure I could deal. When we were down in the sewers, I saw the misery there same way you did and it reminded me how lucky I was not to have ended up there. I'd like to do something for those people and those who can't afford regular care. That's what I know how to do..."

The impassioned speech moved Catherine. "I didn't realize how much you missed it."

"You know I only left because of my brothers. At the time I really believed I'd practice medicine again afterward."

Catherine gazed into his eyes, wondering what right she had to even question this since she herself was taking the same risk every day. However she also worried that his desire for normalcy might be premature. "Are you really sure? I mean if that's what you want I'll support you, don't get me wrong..."

"Catherine I know the kind of challenge I'd be facing and I also believe I'm ready for it."

"I'm not saying you shouldn't, Vincent. I just wonder if it's too soon. You told me yourself you wanted to deal with the beasts before anything else. And there's also what agent Levy told you..."

"He was barely lucid Catherine and we haven't gotten any sign of trouble other than the beasts we already found. I'm not saying we shouldn't be looking for whoever did this but if I wait until we found them, I might never get around to it..."

"Alright," Catherine simply said as she took his hand and started walking again. "Then I guess we might as well enjoy the little free time we've got left," she added with a smile.

"Right," Vincent replied in kind. "I seem to remember a certain Jane..."

In a posh office a young woman with light blonde hair and a severe expression that marred otherwise lovely features was staring through a tall window at a spectacular view of the city. She hardly saw it however, as she was listening to the man standing on the other side of a massive mahogany desk. He had salt and pepper hair and rather ordinary features. He wore a well cut suit, but seemed a little ill at ease in it, as if the clothes were a prop he'd only recently acquired to impress. The room sported a rather strange decor for a business since it had all sorts of weapons in display, most of which were medieval in style. The woman kept the weapons as mementos of her former lover. That lover had betrayed her in a way but she had put that squarely on the woman who stole him from her.

"Miss Frank?" The man standing in her office called after he finished his report and got no reaction.

"I'm listening David and I did tell you to call me Tyler." Tyler answered calmly.

"Seems a little informal to address one's employer, Miss."

"So be it," Tyler Frank replied dismissively as she turned her full attention to the head of security. "Now, what you're telling me is that they rounded up the rejects?"

"Yes but we don't anticipate any repercussion. Even if by miracle they got them back to their human selves, the serum provided a thorough memory wipe."

"And yet one of them managed to send a message, however crude."

Ill at ease, the head of security added, "it probably was just some idiosyncratic reaction. None of them had the brains left to think straight."

Tyler started slowly walking around the desk, casually fingering the polished wood as she went as if testing for dust.

David had heard rumors about the last head of security, who apparently disappeared without a trace days before he was promoted to his current job. At the time he only knew that the firm he was working for was at the cutting-edge of DNA research. It had all sounded so prestigious until he'd signed a very thorough nondisclosure agreement. Had he been more suspicious at the time he would've read all the fine print. As it were, his life was now the property of the firm, less they'd go after his family. Right then, the sweat that pearled on his brow had nothing to do with the ambient temperature.

"David...can you guarantee that nothing will lead their captors back to me?"

David swallowed a lump the size of a ping pong ball. Failure was obviously not an option. "I'll make sure not a trace is left."

"That's much better. Now scoot and come back with good news."

The latter had been uttered very lightly, almost kindly and yet David knew for a fact that if he failed he'd forfeit his life...or worse.

"Done," he replied as confidently as he could muster. However, even though Tyler Frank didn't say anything before he left, he was certain that she'd read his fear.

As soon as he was back in his own windowless office, one that was wall to wall security monitors, he picked up the phone and dialed. "Get me our asset ASAP," was all he said before hanging up.


End file.
